PORT ANGELES — Morgan Bartholick knew he wasn’t in Port Angeles anymore when he accidentally bumped into a stranger on a busy subway car and the stranger started yelling at him.
It was an unexpected display of New York City manners for Bartholick, a violinist with Port Angeles High School’s symphony orchestra.
But the incident didn’t come close to dampening his or his fellow orchestra members’ trip to the Big Apple last weekend that culminated with a 40-minute performance at Carnegie Hall on Easter Sunday.
Interviews with several of the returning orchestra members on Wednesday showed that playing at Carnegie Hall was only a part of the learning experience they had while in New York.
For many of them, the trip exposed them to a whole new way of looking at the world they live in.
“I loved the city,” said Karen Hall, a senior and cellist who arrived in Port Angeles from New York in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.
“I’m going to move there someday.”
Lots of sightseeing
Hall said she and most students slept only a few hours a night, trying to squeeze in as much sightseeing as they could before and after their performance Sunday.
“It was more than what I expected,” said Emma Breen, a freshman cellist as she mulled over still-fresh memories from New York.
“I’d heard of all the yellow taxi cabs they have there, but I didn’t expect to see so many of them or that the main noise there would be just honking.”
Most orchestra members agreed that their show at Carnegie Hall, in which they played musical pieces from Dvorak and Piazolla, was one of the best performances they ever put on.
“We played really well,” said Karen Hall, a senior cellist.
“We raised the bar [for future school orchestras.]”
Pinnacle performance
The orchestra’s conductor and teacher, Ron Jones, also said it was one of the best shows for the students.
“I think this show probably epitomized all the trips we’ve made to New York,” said Jones, referring to the shows that the school’s orchestra have had in New York every four years since 1989.
“It was fantastic, the kids were wonderful and the concert was incredible.”
Many students said they were surprised when they received a standing ovation after their performance.
“I put my heart and soul into it,” said Chelsea Williams, a freshman.
“We did awesome.”